Finding the right book is a serious business

I am at the library. Through the glass door of the study room, I can see a girl pull a book from the picture book shelf, carefully designed to be in child reach.

She flips through the pages, grinning her excitement. Then goes through them more slowly, face pulled together in concentration. Then she stares at the cover a while. Then, face serious, she puts it back on the shelf.

Maybe because there’s another book beside her, one I haven’t seen her choose. And that book’s the one she picks up, holds close to her chest, and marches determinedly away with.